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My Shrimp tank!

oliverar

Member
Joined
5 Jun 2010
Messages
190
Location
Canterbury, UK
Hi, I am just planning a tank, it is a bit of a rubbish tank ( a 12" cube!). I want it to be a shrimp tank primarily, but it is really good for shrimp if you have it heavily planted, hence I need your help! I have the small problem that I can't use any fert's with copper in them, but that will be easy enough to get round, Right then, I have planned a Hamburg Mat Filter, because that is the best for shrimp! I have a 700lph pump for it, and filter floss and loads of bio-filter media, I just need to get my hand's on some activated carbon! I plan on using ada amazonia aquasoil! I am also going to use a little bit of hard scape, I will be using some rock's I like, but I am not sure what to do with them, so I have ordered a copy of aqua journal for some idea's, but I would love your input once I post some pic's of them! I will also need some advice on planting, but I will get to that soon!
 
OK then, I have done the filter, so I will now post some pic's!
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Right then, I have just ordered the Aqua soil, but it had to be Amazonia II because the normal one was out of stock, but Green Machine gave me loads of free stuff to make up for it, so I am very happy with their service :D I have also ordered a nano piece of drift wood and some dragon stone for the hard scape! I have also found a good co2 system which I am trying to get hold of, but I will update you more on that!
 
Sound good :) Where does the flow come out of the filter? I can't quite figure it out! Maybe you could do a quick step-by-step guide on how you DIY'ed your filter? (If you have already done this then sorry I haven't seen it lol)
 
O, and by the way, here is my plan, please excuse the crossed out bit in the middle, but the green illustration at the bottom is the carpet, the left is a list of the stem plant's, the right is the overview. Hope this is clear!
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Ok then, basically the input is on the inside of the blue filter, like a normal internal filter, inside the internal filter, I have got filter foam and activated carbon, the in between the blue foam and the filter is biological filter media and more floss, then there is the blue filter foam, the filter outlet is just poking out through the blue foam, this is important because if it does not the filter only filters the water inside the blue foam! I only realised this when it started running, so this alteration was made after I took the photo's, but you can't really see it now! Although now I have a new problem, I have a 12" cube tank, and a 700lph pump, which mean's that the output is like a force 8 storm! So I am now thinking of way's to decrease the output! I am going to heavily compact the filter foam so that may help, and any other suggestion's would be great!
 
Cool :) Does the filter not have somewhere you can adjust the flow? If not you could fill the filter with the floss and then a little bit of foam to stop the impeller getting tangled up in floss.
 
Hi all,
I like the look of your HMF, I wouldn't compact the foam, you can reduce the flow by adding a diffuser (spraybar) or aiming the outflow straight at something that will break the flow up, but not totally divert it. I usually use a piece of branching wood and tie on a Bolbitis or Microsorum to further diffuse the flow. You could also add more ceramic rings to the bottom section (so they surround the filter intake). I'm pretty sure thsi will be fine, but If the flow is still too much you could try a small pump (you can always buy very cheap Maxijet 200/400/600 on Ebay, and I can personally recommend them).

cheers Darrel
 
Ok, well I will try that, I think I will initially try adding more filter media like the ring's as you suggested, but at the moment it is spraying about 10cm at a wall, and it is still very strong all round the tank, it also seem's a little extravagant to get a new pump, as I got this for this project, and I underestimated the flow reduction of all the media! I will play around with it all and see what I can do!
 
Ok then, well I have cancelled my order for Amazonia II after seeing several very bad reviews for it! and am waiting to get the Amazonia. I have just recheck the calculation's and it turn's out that I need 4 and a bit litres and I have only ordered 3, but that is not factoring in the HMF, but I still think I will be a little short, so I am considering some power sand, and maybe some graded natural gravel, like the stuff with load's of different types of thing's in it. My plan is that I will put in the wood, and then I will have the rock's in, but I will cover them over, so it is just 1 surface of the dragon stone visible around the wood, so it look's like the wood is growing out of the rock. I have also had a play around with the bio ring's and the filter floss but it is still too strong, I will post a video.
 
Hello oliverar,

Interesting idea that filter, how will you clean it with out spilling the media all into the tank? I help diffuse the flow add a spray bar, I did this with a cube that had whirlpool flow,make your own that's the length of the tank with plenty of lots of small holes. Should help plenty.


Cheers
 
Olive after looking at your idea how about allowing the filter water to flow over the top of the filter foam? If you could section the top and bottom of the filter off somehow (maybe more foam?) and changed the outflow so its inside the foam ring (hmm thats alot of foams) then it should cause the water to flow over the top of the (here it is again) foam making a kind of surface flow which would lessen it...

hmm i hope you know what i mean...

i played about in paint

FilterIdea.jpg


So this would allow you to use full flow while giving it a 90 degree exit point from the filter... would look pretty cool like water welling up from a spring!...i actualy want to try this myself now...
 
Would a normal filter with a foam guard on the inflow pipe to the filter? A black one with a black background wouldn't notice to much once the plants have grown in. Would be easier to clean aswell.
 
That is a good idea, I think I will try that! :D Yep apparently they need cleaning like once every year or so!!
 
Well then everything has arrived, I will post pictures soon! I am now looking at stocking it, you may know about my import from Germany, well I am getting some shrimp and hopefully some micro crabs, I am also looking at some fish I saw at pets at home, they were dwarf fancy goldfish, they were like 5cm long, and supposedly very easy to keep, how many do you think I could get in my tank? It is a 1 foot cube, I was thinking like 2 or 3?
 
Don't do it! Those 'easy to keep' 5cm goldfish will grow to 6 inch long beasts that will eat both your plants and shrimp! Fancy goldfish are big messy fish that don't do well with most tank mates and ideally need a dedicated setup. My advice is stay well away.
 
O no, what a shame, they looked really sweet! Ok then well I will look for some other nice fish! Any advice, preferably something easy and interesting to look at.
 
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